Grain crops (Russian market)

Grain exports and imports in Russia

Main article: Grain exports and imports in Russia

Flour production in Russia

Main article: Flour production in Russia

2023

Grain yield in Russia decreased by 8.4% to 30.8 centners per hectare

Grain yield in Russia at the end of 2023 decreased by 8.4% compared to 2022 and amounted to 30.8 centners per hectare. Such data in January 2024 led to Rosstat.

As Interfax writes with reference to the department's materials, in 2023 the wheat harvest amounted to 92.8 million tons (104.2 million tons), rye - 1.7 million tons (2.18 million tons), barley - 21.1 million tons (23.4 million tons), corn - 14.4 million tons (15.8 million tons).

Grain yield in Russia in 2023 decreased by 8.4%

Rice collected 1.066 million tons (920.1 thousand tons), buckwheat - 1.48 million tons (1.2 million tons), oats - 3.3 million tons (4.5 million tons), millet - 449 thousand tons (308 thousand tons). Leguminous crops harvested 5.9 million tons (4.6 million tons).

According to Rosstat estimates, in 2023, sown areas in all farms decreased by 1.3% and amounted to 81.2 million hectares. At the same time, the areas allocated for grain and leguminous crops (including corn for grain) increased by 300 thousand hectares (+ 0.6%) and reached 47.8 million hectares. The areas sown with winter wheat decreased by almost 1 million hectares, amounting to 15.7 million hectares (-6.1%). The largest reduction in crops occurred in the regions of the Central Federal District - by 29.7%, as well as in Siberia - by 34.4%. At the same time, the area under spring wheat increased from 12.79 million hectares to 14 million hectares (+ 9.7%). In the Central Federal District, the increase was 45.9%, in Siberia - 5%.

In 2023, all farms collected 142.6 million tons of grain and leguminous crops in net weight, which is 9.5% less than in the record last year, Rosstat reports. Agricultural organizations accounted for 47% of all harvested grain, peasant (farm) farms and individual entrepreneurs - 31%. Agricultural organizations collected 96.9 million tons of grain (-10.5% compared to 2022), peasant (farm) farms and individual entrepreneurs - 44.2 million tons (-7.1%).^[1]

Grain harvest decreased in Russia - by 9.5% to 142.6 million tons

In 2023 Russia , 142.6 million tons of grain and leguminous crops were harvested (in net weight), which is 9.5% less than a year earlier. This is stated in materials Rosstat published at the end of December 2023.

The winter wheat harvest in the Russian Federation at the end of 2023 decreased by 13.8% compared to 2022 - to 63.8 million tons. Almost 29 million tons of spring were also harvested, which is 4.1% less than a year ago.

Grain and leguminous harvest in Russia in 2023 amounted to 142.6 million tons

In December 2023, the head of the Federation Council Committee on Agrarian and Food Policy and Environmental Management, Alexander Dvoynykh, said that a slight reduction in yields is expected in 2023, but this will not prevent meeting the needs of the domestic market and fulfilling export obligations.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, which were published in December 2023, the grain and leguminous harvest in 2023 amounted to more than 153 million tons in bunker weight, more than 146 million tons are predicted to be net. This is slightly less than in 2022, when grain and leguminous crops harvested 157.7 million tons in pure weight. In addition, the Ministry of Agriculture takes into account the fees of new regions in the declared volumes of 2023, without which the total harvest would have sagged by 8%, analysts of the Business Profile group say.

The total area for grain and leguminous crops as a whole in 2023 increased by 1.1%, according to the data in the Center for Agroanalytics - up to 48 million hectares (excluding new territories). The increase was due to an increase in spring crops to 30.7 million hectares (+ 5.5%). Instead of partially dead winter crops, it was necessary to increase the sowing of spring wheat from 12.8 million hectares in 2022 to 14.1 million hectares in 2023, analysts at Business Profile say.

Despite the fact that records could not be broken, the country is increasing exports. Director of Yakov & Partners Oleg Shenderyuk calls the growth of supplies abroad in volume and money and the opening of new importers the main achievements of the industry in 2023.^[2]

2022

Malt sales up 10.3% to 1.54 million tonnes

The volume of the Russian malt market in 2022 reached 1.54 million tons, which is 10.3% more than a year earlier. Sales of these products continued to increase after growth of 3% and 1.6% in 2021 and 2020, respectively. This is evidenced by data from analysts BusinesStat, published in early September 2023.

Researchers attribute the rise of the malt market to an increase in demand for it from the brewing and distilling industries, as well as from the food industry, which uses malt for the production of pasta, bakery and confectionery products.

According to experts, mainly domestic malt is used in Russia. Dependence on imports, already small, tends to decline: in 2018-2022. imports of malt to Russia decreased by 31.5%, and the share of imports in sales fell from 8.1% to 4.5%.

According to BusinesStat forecasts, in 2023 the demand for malt in Russia from the consuming industries will remain stable. The withdrawal from the Russian market of the Dutch concern Heineken, planned for 2023, will not lead to a decrease in malt sales in the country, since the company's brewing business will not stop, but will be transferred to the new owner. The supply of malt in the domestic market in the near future will also remain at a sufficient level, which will be due to the expected high grain yield for malt production in 2023, the analytical company notes.

It is also emphasized that the total volume of the Russian malt market is formed mainly at the expense of producers of the Central Federal District, the Volga Federal District and the North-Western Federal District. These regions are the leaders among all regions of Russia in terms of malt production.^[3]

Record grain harvest harvested in Russia - 158 million tons

In 2022, a record grain harvest was harvested in Russia - about 158 million tons. This was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin in May 2023 at a meeting on the progress of field work.

According to the head of state, the country provides itself with all the main types of food and, despite barriers in foreign trade, has increased the export of agro-industrial products.

According to the data, the Rosstat grain harvest in net weight in Russia at the end of 2022 amounted to 153.8 million tons, including 104.4 million tons of wheat, against 121.4 million and 76.1 million, respectively, a year earlier. Winter wheat harvest in 2022 amounted to 73.99 million tons against 50.1 million tons a year in the wound, spring - 30.44 million tons against 23 million tons. In addition, the rye crop grew to 2.2 million tons from 1.7 million tons in 2021, winter barley - to 3.2 million tons from 2.9 million tons, spring - to 20.3 million tons from 15.1 million tons, respectively. The corn crop declined to 11.8 million tonnes from 15.2 million tonnes.

Grain harvest in net weight in Russia in 2022 amounted to 153.8 million tons

According to the department, the oat harvest in 2022 amounted to 4.56 million tons against 3.78 million tons in 2021, rice - 797.5 thousand tons against 1.076 million tons, buckwheat - 1.2 million tons against 919.1 thousand tons, millet - 3.1 million tons against 3.7 million tons. Sunflower harvest in 2022 decreased to 14.5 million tons from 15.7 million tons in 2021, soybeans - increased to 5.8 million tons from 4.8 million tons. The harvest of winter rape in 2022 amounted to 1.6 million tons against 729.7 thousand tons in 2021, spring - 2.9 million tons against 2.06 million tons.

In addition, as reported in Rosstat, the sugar beet harvest in 2022 amounted to 41.7 million tons against 41.2 million tons in 2021. The potato harvest reached 18.7 million tons against 17.9 million tons, including 4.3 million tons in agricultural organizations against 4.1 million tons. Vegetables harvested 13.02 million tons versus 13.03 million tons a year ago. Including in agricultural organizations - 3.798 million tons against 3.828 million tons.

We have successfully completed the season - above initial expectations, "said Eduard Zernin, chairman of the board of the Union of Grain Exporters, in July 2023. - It has become a record in terms of both crops and grain exports, despite hidden sanctions and other discriminatory barriers.[4]

Soybean harvest in Russia grew to 5.75 million tons

Soybean harvest in Russia in 2022 amounted to more than 5.75 million tons. This record indicator is evidenced by data from the Institute for Agricultural Market Studies (IKAR), which were released in February 2023.

As Kommersant writes with reference to ICAR data, a huge harvest was recorded in all macro-regions, which is relevant in the conditions of the launch of two large creameries in the center of the Russian Federation with a total processing capacity of about 2 million tons with an emphasis on soybeans, ICAR analysts say.

Crop growth led to lower imports of soybeans

The Ministry of Agriculture confirms that the increase in the production of soybeans is one of the trends in the industry. Over the past ten years, according to the departments (given in the publication of the publication of February 10, 2023), the sown areas of soybeans in Russia have grown 2.3 times, to 3.5 million hectares.

The record soybean harvest in Russia in 2022 led to a decrease in imports. According to Sovekon, from the beginning of the season in September 2022 to January 2023, the import of soybeans decreased by 13% compared to a year ago - to 685 thousand tons. According to analysts, all imported volumes in the season are imports from Brazil. Supplies from Paraguay, another major soybean producer in the world, stopped in the spring of 2022, according to a Sovecon review, excerpts from which are quoted by Kommersant.

Mikhail Khokhlov, director of the oil and oil division of Efko Group of Companies, says that by February 2023, soybean stocks in Russia exceed the level of last season, even against the background of increased processing. According to Sovekon, from the beginning of the season to December 2022, a record 2.8 million tons of vegetable oil were produced in Russia, including about 300 thousand tons of soybean oil. A season earlier, these indicators were at the level of 2.4 million tons and 210 thousand tons, respectively.^[5]

Grain harvest growth by 24.2% to a record of 150 million tons

In 2022, the grain harvest in Russia in pure form amounted to 150.7 million tons, which is 24.2% more than a year ago in 121.4 million tons. Rosstat published such data at the end of December 2022.

Prior to this, a record harvest was obtained in 2017, when 135.539 million tons of grain were harvested, including 86.003 million tons of wheat. In 2021, 121.397 million tons of grain were harvested in the Russian Federation, including 76.057 million tons of wheat.

Grain harvest in Russia breaks records

The bulk of the harvesting took place in good weather conditions, which allows us to count on good refraction indicators (the difference between bunker and net weight), in addition, there was an active harvest after the onset of frosts, so, most likely, grain will be collected from other areas in winter, "said Vice President of the Russian Grain Union (RZS) Alexander Korbut at the end of December 2022, assessing the preliminary results of the crop.

Minister of Agriculture Dmitry Patrushev, speaking in the State Duma on December 14, 2022, said that as of this day, since the beginning of the year, more than 159 million tons of grain in bunker weight have been harvested in the country. In terms of net weight after cleaning and drying, this can give about 150 million tons.

The minister noted that a high figure was achieved, in particular, due to an increase in yields, which over the past five years has increased from 25 to 34 centners per hectare. And the yield increased, among other things, due to the application of mineral fertilizers: in 2018, 39 kg per hectare was contributed, in 2022 - already 60 kg per hectare.

In addition, according to Rosstat, the area sown by grain crops for the 2022 harvest also increased: the area sown by grain and leguminous crops increased to 47.5 million hectares from 47 million a year earlier (for comparison, in 2020 it was 47.9 million hectares). The area for wheat increased to 29.5 million hectares from 28.7 million hectares.^[6]

Wheat harvest growth to record 104.4 million tonnes vs 76 million tonnes a year earlier

In 2022, Russia collected a record 104.4 million tons of wheat against 76.0 million tons a year earlier.

Forecast wheat harvest in record 100 million tons

According to the consultant SovEcon, the wheat harvest in Russia can reach a historical mark of 100 million tons, while the goods accumulate within the country.

A huge supply in a country that is the main world exporter usually contributes to a decrease in world prices. But so far this season, state taxes on exports and logistical problems related to the conflict in Ukraine are holding more grain than usual.

"Some farmers have been facing a storage challenge for months," SovEcon managing director Andrey Sizov said. "We haven't seen anything like it since 2017-18."

2021: Grain sales in Russia increased thanks to feed producers

At the end of 2021, 54.9 million tons of grain crops were sold in Russia, which is 6.4% higher than the volume of sales in 2017 (51.6 million tons). Such figures in August 2022 were cited by BusinessStat analysts.

According to them, the market grew largely due to an increase in the needs of feed producers. In 2017-2021, grain sales for the production of feed products increased by 13.9% - from 28.4 million to 32.4 million tons. The main support for the sector was provided by growing demand from livestock farms and poultry farms. Grain sales for flour and cereals remained at the level of 19.1-20.2 million tons.

Sales of grain crops in the Russian Federation increased thanks to feed producers

The largest share in the structure of grain sales in Russia is traditionally occupied by wheat. In 2021, the share of wheat in grain sales amounted to 58.7%. Wheat is purchased for the production of flour, cereals, pasta, starch and alcohol. In addition, wheat grains, bran and straw serve as fodder for animals. The share of barley in the structure of grain sales in 2021 amounted to 16.9%. In Russia, 70% of barley is used for feed purposes - it contains full-fledged protein, rich in starch. Third in sales was corn, accounting for 14.9% of all grain sales.

According to experts, the sanctions imposed by a number of countries due to Russia's military special operation on the territory of Ukraine are not directed directly to the country's agricultural complex. The indirect impact of the sanctions will lead to an increase in producer costs for major agricultural work, an increase in prices for seed material, fertilizers, pesticides, agricultural machinery and spare parts for it. The state is interested in the stability of the grain market to maintain food security and will provide large-scale support to large industry operators.^[7]

1951

Collective farm named after Stalin Novoaleksandrovsky district of the Stavropol Territory. Collective farmer Anastasia Nikolaevna Prilepina with grain of a new crop. Photographer Yakov Ryumkin, 1951.

Notes